Beware the Ides of March: Protect Your Data

01 Mar Beware the Ides of March: Protect Your Data

Beware of the Ides of March: doom and gloom right? A great time to focus on what doom your computer’s data can encounter. I asked our IT engineers what are the biggest issues they see in their interactions with small businesses. The top issues were anti-virus software not being renewed and email phishing. These two problems lead to business down time, loss of data, and increased costs.

PC ISSUES

Everyone is aware that PC’s need virus protection and most put it on when the computer is first purchased. However, many do not renew the protection after the first year, and the PC is now vulnerable to multitude of viruses and malware. A renewal notice will pop up on their screen and the users just X out on the message. Does this look familiar:

If you own a business and have a server with more than one computer on it, just one employee ignoring the above warning and getting infected can spread to other computers on the network. The cost of removing viruses from each infected computer can result in a cost of $90 to as much as $500 to back up data, wipe the computer completely and then reload the operating system, applications, and data.

Once the computer is vulnerable, it is even more exposed to email phishing. Phishing scams are typically fraudulent email messages appearing to be legitimate to the users and thus, they click through, totally compromising your business’s data.

The prevention to these serious problems is really quite simple: use a business class Anti-virus product that has automatic renewal on each of your business’s computers. Systems Plus offers not only world class Anti-virus, but we offer it in such a way that you never have to worry about expiration dates as it renews automatically. We also monitor and update the product 24/7 in an effort to keep virus definitions fresh, and infections from spreading.

Anti-virus protection from Systems Plus is only $36 a year and includes monitoring. Tell us you saw this blog and you can get a gift card for $15 (five months FREE).

MAC ISSUES

Traditionally, Mac users are relatively free from viruses; however, Mac users can still be victims of phishing and malware.

Yes, Macs can get malware. Beyond traditional viruses, worms, and Trojans, there’s now a thriving ecosystem of adware and spyware programs that bombard you with ads and spy on your web browsing, just like on Windows.

The prevention of these issues on a Mac is relatively simple. We offer a monitoring program for Mac’s called Plus Care. Plus Care is an automated, proactive service that ensures your Mac is healthy and secure by monitoring your hardware. In addition, Plus Care performs routine maintenance, and updates to software programs, including Adobe Flash, Java, and Firefox, and removes malware.

During the Month of March, Plus Care is on special for only $14.99 per month if paid a year in advance. If you want to protect your critical business documents, family photos, and other precious data, contact us at Systems Plus.

Call us at 1-603- 643-5800 for more information on preventing these issues.

For over 25 years, Systems Plus Computers has been the Upper Valley’s best source for computer products and services. Located at Centerra Parkway in Lebanon, Systems Plus offers convenient access to technology resources for your home or business.